Australia toughens foreign worker visas, says Australian jobs for Australians

[webfact]

Australia toughens foreign worker visas, says Australian jobs for Australians

By Swati Pandey

REUTERS

 

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks as Immigration Minister Peter Dutton listens on during a media conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, April 18, 2017. AAP/Lukas Coch/via REUTERS

 

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will abolish a temporary work visa popular with foreigners and replace it with a visa requiring better English-language and work skills, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Tuesday.

 

Turnbull rejected suggestions the visa policy change was in response to far-right wing political parties, such as One Nation, demanding more nationalistic policies.

 

But in a Facebook announcement Turnbull said: "Our reforms will have a simple focus: Australian jobs and Australian values."

 

Turnbull said the visa change would attract better skilled workers and see Australians employed over cheap foreign workers brought in under the old 457 visa programme.

 

"We are an immigration nation, but the fact remains- Australian workers must have priority for Australian jobs," he said. "We'll no longer allow 457 visas to be passports to jobs that could and should go to Australians."

 

The 457 visa was designed to fill Australia's skills shortage and allow holders to bring members of their family to Australia on 457 secondary visa.

 

But the 457 visa has been mired in controversy with allegations the programme was being misused by employers to import workers on the cheap, not to fill genuine skill shortage.

 

"We are bringing the 457 visa class to an end. It's lost its credibility," Turnbull said at a press conference in Canberra.

 

Anyone now in Australia on a 457 visa will not be affected by the new arrangements.

 

The 457 visa, now used by about 95,000 foreign workers, will be replaced by a new temporary visa and the list of occupations that qualify for a visa will be reduced from more than 200.

 

The new visa will be limited to a two-year period and a second four-year visa will require a higher standard of English language.

From 1901 to around 1973, Australia restricted non-white immigration under a White Australia policy which required an English language test.

 

(Reporting by Swati Pandey; Editing by Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-04-18

[Laughing Gravy]

Well done Australia . Lets hope one day the UK will follow and do the same.

[whatawonderfulday]

40 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

Well done Australia . Lets hope one day the UK will follow and do the same.

Too late. No good bolting the stable the door after the horse has bolted. 

[mfd101]

The only people who objected to the 457 visas were the unions who thought it threatened their lurks 'n perks. The fact is that most 457 foreign workers were working in jobs that Aussies don't want to do (eg seasonal fruit picking). So now there will be legitimate screams again from small employers across the country saying they can't get workers for this or that job ...

[BEVUP]

20 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

The only people who objected to the 457 visas were the unions who thought it threatened their lurks 'n perks. The fact is that most 457 foreign workers were working in jobs that Aussies don't want to do (eg seasonal fruit picking). So now there will be legitimate screams again from small employers across the country saying they can't get workers for this or that job ...

Well your wrong' 457's have had access to any job (i've even worked beside them ) & the industry i work in had thousands of applications from Auss Citz wanting to make a quick dollar in the high paying field im in which you get for having to put up with the conditions

& its not only the Visa holders as from another island not to far from Auss was given the go forgiven right to any of our jobs because the sailed on the same ship during the war

Oh & by the way which political parties sold us out to the Chinese - Both - Any project soley owned by the Chinese can employ their own people

So the next time you read a job advertisement with one of the criteria being able to speak Mandarine you can thank our Governments because it has been done before

[Andrew65]

In the job I worked in on a 457 which was quite technical, there was only one Aussie out of about 12 people, the rest were foreigners on 457's. It certainly wasn't fruit-picking/menial kind of work either. Further to that, I don't think most of my Aussie bosses were sufficiently qualified or experienced to be in the jobs that they were.

[BEVUP]

1 minute ago, Andrew65 said:

In the job I worked in on a 457 which was quite technical, there was only one Aussie out of about 12 people, the rest were foreigners on 457's. It certainly wasn't fruit-picking/menial kind of work either. Further to that, I don't think most of my Aussie bosses were sufficiently qualified or experienced to be in the jobs that they were.

Ah yes the bit about qualified & experience

I actually agree with you on this one as i was recently on a job & they had a lot of beginners on it even though there were qualified people tying to get a start

The beginners actually became my bosses 

[MadMuhummad]

1 hour ago, mfd101 said:

The only people who objected to the 457 visas were the unions who thought it threatened their lurks 'n perks. The fact is that most 457 foreign workers were working in jobs that Aussies don't want to do (eg seasonal fruit picking). So now there will be legitimate screams again from small employers across the country saying they can't get workers for this or that job ...

What a load of rubbish. The biggest objection from unions were the dilution and lowering of protected, licenced trades. When you have Australian kids struggling to get apprenticeships and then having to complete 4 years education competing against a 'qualified' electrician from India or China coming in on a 457 and gaining prior recognition and completing a bridging course taking those jobs there's a big problem.

and that's before you even begin to look at the nightmare of their standard of work, adherence to regulation and quality of products used we should be extremely thankful that the unions were so steadfast on their refusal to accept it.

you abviously work in an an office shining a chair with your arse.

[RigPig]

5 minutes ago, MadMuhummad said:

What a load of rubbish. The biggest objection from unions were the dilution and lowering of protected, licenced trades. When you have Australian kids struggling to get apprenticeships and then having to complete 4 years education competing against a 'qualified' electrician from India or China coming in on a 457 and gaining prior recognition and completing a bridging course taking those jobs there's a big problem.

and that's before you even begin to look at the nightmare of their standard of work, adherence to regulation and quality of products used we should be extremely thankful that the unions were so steadfast on their refusal to accept it.

you abviously work in an an office shining a chair with your arse.

Being an electrician , with 2 Qld licenses, Aus has the toughest, and safest electrical system in the world.  I have worked on rigs with many other nationalities and bekive me an "electrical engineers degree" from some so called university or technical college doesn't cut it!  This prior recognition and bridging course is BS too IMO.  You need the experience and guidence of tradesmen to get an understanding, and even then you don't start to learn until AFTER you have your license, but you end up with a sound base to work from.....

[GreasyFingers]

They should take this further and give pensions and other handouts only to Australians.

[MadMuhummad]

49 minutes ago, RigPig said:

Being an electrician , with 2 Qld licenses, Aus has the toughest, and safest electrical system in the world.  I have worked on rigs with many other nationalities and bekive me an "electrical engineers degree" from some so called university or technical college doesn't cut it!  This prior recognition and bridging course is BS too IMO.  You need the experience and guidence of tradesmen to get an understanding, and even then you don't start to learn until AFTER you have your license, but you end up with a sound base to work from.....

100% agree mate, fellow sparky here. Learn more in the following years than anyone can try stuff in your head as an apprentice. There's so much to the trade you can never, ever say you know everything.

Yet we continually get these 'qualified' individuals getting a free ride 

[Stargeezr]

The  immigration of Australia, Canada and USA should be that peope who want tro immigrate should know the language at least basically before being let into the country. Now Canada has immigrants, and especially refugees that have to be taught the  language, which takes 3 to 5  years to learn the  basics  and it all costs money for this to happen. Good on Australia to change their immigration policy.

Geezer

[simple1]

12 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

They should take this further and give pensions and other handouts only to Australians.

if someone complies with the criteria for a pension and do not hold Oz citizenship why shouldn't they receive the monies due?

[steven100]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Australia toughens foreign worker visas, says Australian jobs for Australians

Is that why they let TELSTRA place their call centres in the Philippines, costing thousands of Aussie jobs    ??????

 

Is that why they let NBN use Indian staff in India to build their jobs on computer,  costing thousands of Aussie jobs     ??????

 

Absolute hypocrites   ........       they make me sick   

[mfd101]

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

Is that why they let TELSTRA place their call centres in the Philippines, costing thousands of Aussie jobs    ??????

 

Is that why they let NBN use Indian staff in India to build their jobs on computer,  costing thousands of Aussie jobs     ??????

 

Absolute hypocrites   ........       they make me sick   

You want things in Oz - goods & services -  nice & cheap? Buy from o/s or from service providers o/s [cars, computers, clothes, solar panels, smartphones, dentistry, health care ... ].

 

You want everything cheap & Oz? Buy Oz! [um ... coal, uranium, iron ore, wheat, gas woops no not gas, electricity woops no not electricity ... ]

Edited April 19, 2017 by mfd101

[GreasyFingers]

11 hours ago, simple1 said:

if someone complies with the criteria for a pension and do not hold Oz citizenship why shouldn't they receive the monies due?

Because the criteria are different. Do you know what the criteria are to receive housing, spouse and child benefits. There are Australians that do not qualify but short term immigrants and the so called refugees do as some are special benefits only for them. I know it will not happen in my lifetime but an aussie can hope.

Edited April 19, 2017 by GreasyFingers
addition

[simple1]

1 hour ago, GreasyFingers said:

Because the criteria are different. Do you know what the criteria are to receive housing, spouse and child benefits. There are Australians that do not qualify but short term immigrants and the so called refugees do as some are special benefits only for them. I know it will not happen in my lifetime but an aussie can hope.

Asylum seekers waiting for their claim to be processed are not permitted to work so their only means for support is via welfare and NGOs. It is mainly the NGOs that provide benefits over and above the Oz government welfare regulations for refugees and asylum seekers within Australia. FYI refugees in Australia are asylum seekers who have been positively vetted, not '"so called".

 

With regards to Age Pension eligibility it is heavily regulated for compliance, I would interested to see proof to back up your claim.

 

Australian government assistance for refugees - fact versus fiction

 

http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/AustGovAssistRefugees

 

BTW did you know more than 50% of Australians pay no net tax due to family welfare payments and so on.

Edited April 19, 2017 by simple1

[GreasyFingers]

1 hour ago, simple1 said:

Asylum seekers waiting for their claim to be processed are not permitted to work so their only means for support is via welfare and NGOs. It is mainly the NGOs that provide benefits over and above the Oz government welfare regulations for refugees and asylum seekers within Australia. FYI refugees in Australia are asylum seekers who have been positively vetted, not '"so called".

 

With regards to Age Pension eligibility it is heavily regulated for compliance, I would interested to see proof to back up your claim.

 

Australian government assistance for refugees - fact versus fiction

 

http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/AustGovAssistRefugees

 

BTW did you know more than 50% of Australians pay no net tax due to family welfare payments and so on.

You really need to go through the process and then you would know. You can call them them asylum seekeekers if you wish but they are not aussies so should not get special privilages until they are.

 

With regards to the pension an immigrant only has to work for 10 years and then return home and have a pension. An aussie does not have that privalege to go elsewhere.

 

As regards your BTW that is the problem, as many of them are not Australian.. I see to many aussies that suffer because of the other payments that you support

[GreasyFingers]

Stripped of its academic jargon, the welfare state is nothing more than a mechanism by which governments confiscate the wealth of the productive members of a society to support a wide variety of welfare schemes.

That is the emotional foundation underlying socialist politics – envy, dressed up as social justice

[BEVUP]

1 hour ago, GreasyFingers said:

Stripped of its academic jargon, the welfare state is nothing more than a mechanism by which governments confiscate the wealth of the productive members of a society to support a wide variety of welfare schemes.

 

That is the emotional foundation underlying socialist politics – envy, dressed up as social justice

Exactly as i worked long hours to earn a descent yearly wage but since i did that in 8 mths it is not worth working for the rest of the financial yr or otherwise i would not get a tax return due to the above 

[ilostmypassword]

1 hour ago, GreasyFingers said:

Stripped of its academic jargon, the welfare state is nothing more than a mechanism by which governments confiscate the wealth of the productive members of a society to support a wide variety of welfare schemes.

 

That is the emotional foundation underlying socialist politics – envy, dressed up as social justice

Hey, if you want to go to a place without very little government try Libya or Somalia. Paradise!

[simple1]

10 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

You really need to go through the process and then you would know. You can call them them asylum seekeekers if you wish but they are not aussies so should not get special privilages until they are.

 

With regards to the pension an immigrant only has to work for 10 years and then return home and have a pension. An aussie does not have that privalege to go elsewhere.

 

As regards your BTW that is the problem, as many of them are not Australian.. I see to many aussies that suffer because of the other payments that you support i.e. your claim 

Australia has ratified and signed international conventions for assisting asylum seekers / refugees, if you don't like it vote for the person whose policies would eventually destroy the Australian economy - Pauline Hanson.

 

You do know that approx 27% of the Oz population are foreign born don't you? if you are saying in your opinion only those who hold Australian citizenship are entitled to access to the likes of medical services, other government funded services and so on. the large majority of Australian residents can kiss goodbye to bringing foreign born partners to Australia.

 

You have made a number of  opinionated assertions without facts - not unusual with ideologues from the 'right', so...

 

1) Australians are entitled to relocate offshore and receive Aged Pension, as do many who have retired in Thailand.

2) Those with PR or dual citizenship must meet exactly the same criteria for Age Pension as Australian citizens.

2) If someone is a legal resident of Australia and fulfil relevant criteria they are fully entitled to whatever benefit is provided by government, it is not a requirement to be an Australian citizen, nor should be.

Edited April 19, 2017 by simple1

[thaibeachlovers]

On 4/18/2017 at 6:25 PM, mfd101 said:

The only people who objected to the 457 visas were the unions who thought it threatened their lurks 'n perks. The fact is that most 457 foreign workers were working in jobs that Aussies don't want to do (eg seasonal fruit picking). So now there will be legitimate screams again from small employers across the country saying they can't get workers for this or that job ...

Easily solved by cancelling the dole for any that refuse to work, despite being able to. In New Zealand during the Kiwifruit picking season I believe the dole is cancelled for the Bay of Plenty where most of the Kiwifruit grows.

If people can move from overseas to work in another country, bludgers can get off their idle backsides and work in their own country. Time to toughen up on the workshy. Said by one that worked from after leaving school till retiring.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, simple1 said:

Australia has ratified and signed international conventions for assisting asylum seekers / refugees, if you don't like it vote for the person whose policies would eventually destroy the Australian economy - Pauline Hanson.

 

You do know that approx 27% of the Oz population are foreign born don't you? if you are saying in your opinion only those who hold Australian citizenship are entitled to access to the likes of medical services, other government funded services and so on. the large majority of Australian residents can kiss goodbye to bringing foreign born partners to Australia.

 

You have made a number of  opinionated assertions without facts - not unusual with ideologues from the 'right', so...

 

1) Australians are entitled to relocate offshore and receive Aged Pension, as do many who have retired in Thailand.

2) Those with PR or dual citizenship must meet exactly the same criteria for Age Pension as Australian citizens.

2) If someone is a legal resident of Australia and fulfil relevant criteria they are fully entitled to whatever benefit is provided by government, it is not a requirement to be an Australian citizen, nor should be.

While I do not disagree with your comments, I believe western countries make it far too easy for foreign born people to become entitled to citizen benefits. Thus they set themselves up to paying out huge amounts of welfare to people that only worked a short time before retiring.

Saudi has the best system I know of- they bring in people to do jobs and they can only stay as long as they have a job. Then they go back home.

BTW, I don't know if it is still that way, but back in the 90s when I was thinking about working in Canada, I found that my job would only exist as long as a Canadian did not want to do it, so not just Saudi.

 

I believe the Aussie government is trying to make it harder for Aussies to get the pension overseas, but I could be wrong.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

Stripped of its academic jargon, the welfare state is nothing more than a mechanism by which governments confiscate the wealth of the productive members of a society to support a wide variety of welfare schemes.

 

That is the emotional foundation underlying socialist politics – envy, dressed up as social justice

There is nothing wrong with the welfare state as it was intended. Before it came into being, sickness or old age was a horror only ended by death.

Where it has gone wrong, is that it has become a monster, being used for all sorts of things that are nothing to do with welfare.

[thaibeachlovers]

14 hours ago, simple1 said:

Asylum seekers waiting for their claim to be processed are not permitted to work so their only means for support is via welfare and NGOs. It is mainly the NGOs that provide benefits over and above the Oz government welfare regulations for refugees and asylum seekers within Australia. FYI refugees in Australia are asylum seekers who have been positively vetted, not '"so called".

 

With regards to Age Pension eligibility it is heavily regulated for compliance, I would interested to see proof to back up your claim.

 

Australian government assistance for refugees - fact versus fiction

 

http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/AustGovAssistRefugees

 

BTW did you know more than 50% of Australians pay no net tax due to family welfare payments and so on.

BTW did you know more than 50% of Australians pay no net tax due to family welfare payments and so on.

Perhaps it is time to stop paying people to have children. It's not as though there is a shortage of people on the planet.

IMO, if people can't afford to have children on what they earn, they shouldn't have any. It's not like contraception doesn't exist.

[steven100]

Turnbull said: "Our reforms will have a simple focus: Australian jobs and Australian values."

 

WHAT A LOAD OF BS ..... 

 

Is that why they let TELSTRA place their call centres in the Philippines, costing thousands of Aussie jobs    ??????

 

Is that why they let NBN use Indian staff in India to build their jobs on computer,  costing thousands of Aussie jobs     ??????

[thaibeachlovers]

5 minutes ago, steven100 said:

Turnbull said: "Our reforms will have a simple focus: Australian jobs and Australian values."

 

WHAT A LOAD OF BS ..... 

 

Is that why they let TELSTRA place their call centres in the Philippines, costing thousands of Aussie jobs    ??????

 

Is that why they let NBN use Indian staff in India to build their jobs on computer,  costing thousands of Aussie jobs     ??????

It's politics! Does anyone believe anything a politician says?

[Peterw42]

Turnbull has seen how well the "blame those immigrants" mantra has worked for trump, and is getting on the gravy train. I am thinking a NZ border wall any day soon.

 

Edited April 20, 2017 by Peterw42

[steven100]

4 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

It's politics! Does anyone believe anything a politician says?

agree 100% ....  no one believes their lies, constant bickering and BS.

On the news this morn I see where 94% of politicians own several investment properties, with one member owning 33 properties .....  It is so unbalanced .... less than 50% of Australians own another property.